After Stevens, Gennady Golovkin Wants Martinez, Chavez, Jr.

Gennady Golovkin believes bigger and better things are in store for him after Saturday’s fight against Curtis Stevens at Madison Square Garden in New York. When asked of the middleweight division’s biggest names, men like Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., Golovkin told TSS he was ready and willing.

“Yes, I want it,” said Golovkin. “Of course.”

Golovkin (seen above with ex NFLer and current talk show host Michael Strahan) seems the patient sort. He confirmed it again when asked which trait was more important to his success, his technical ability or his power.

“Patience,” said Golovkin.

Trainer Abel Sanchez said that kind of thinking was all by design.

“His patience and his demeanor in the ring is something we’ve developed through hard work and dedication in the gym,” said Sanchez. “Before, he was more of a stand-up, European fighter. He made the commitment to adapt his style to suit more the American public.”

So is Golovkin more aggressive now as a professional than he was when he won the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics?

“I call the style aggressive defense,” said Sanchez. “It’s aggressive but not stupid aggressive. It sets up what we want to do and sets up the opponent to do what we want him to do…the only way we do that is to be aggressive and be ready for the opportunity to arrive. And it always seems to arrive. Whether it’s Gennady or Terry Norris or any of the other guys I’ve worked with, those are the things we try to instill in the gym, things we work on so that it is repetitive and just comes natural on fight night.”

Indeed, Golovkin looks the natural at it when the bell rings. The way he systematically breaks down his opponents and destroys each and every one of them is a throwback to the great pressure fighters of old. Golovkin is on his way to superstardom in America, a fact not missed by his promoter, Tom Loeffler.

“He brings a very exciting and entertaining style, and when you couple that with his humble and respectful personality outside the ring, it’s a great and very unique combination,” said Loeffler. ”It’s something that the American boxing fans have really taken to. There are a lot of fighters who are very boastful before a fight, but then they fail to deliver in the fight. It’s the opposite with Gennady. And because of his KO ratio -- he’s knocked out his last 14 opponents -- he provides a very exciting fight in the ring.”

Loeffler said Golovkin was a fighter by nature. He said the hard punching middleweight first entered the boxing gym at 8 years old. It was something all his friends were doing, and it soon became his life.

And what a life it’s been. At 31, Golovkin is the number one ranked middleweight contender per the Transnational Boxing Rakings Board. He also holds the WBA and IBO title belts.

Team Golovkin has big things in store for their fighter. After Stevens, Golovkin’s fourth bout of the year, Loeffler said they are planning to stay just as busy in 2014. Moreover, he said Golovkin wants to test himself against the biggest and best names in the sport.

“Sergio Martinez has typically been considered the best middleweight out there,” said Loeffler. “He’s been injured after his last two fights, so while he’s injured we like to consider on our side that Gennady is the best middleweight out there. That’s no disrespect to Sergio.”

So who’s next?

“We’d love to fight Sergio Martinez. We’d love to make a fight with Julios Cesar Chavez, Jr. The nice thing about working with Gennady is that from our side it’s easy to make fights.”

Loeffler said it’s been easy to sell his Kazakhstan-born fighter to an action hungry American fan base.

“I think it’s because the American fans like his style in the ring,” said Loeffler.

Sanchez, who has helped build Golovkin’s style into what it is today, said he and the rest of Team Golovkin were aware of the situation they were in. All of them feel Golovkin is a special fighter meant for big things in the sport.

“These types of fighters come along very seldom,” said Sanchez.

I asked Sanchez how he helps Golovkin prepare for a hard puncher like Stevens. Do they work on a different approach than they’ve used in the past? Or will it be business as usual for Golovkin when the bell rings?

“We don’t change. We need to do what we do best and let them adapt to us. Gennady is going to be the Gennady you’ve seen in the past. Obviously, we’re aware of what Stevens has. He has a really good left hook. We’re aware of all those things, but if we start to adapt to him, we’re not doing something 100%. He’s going to be the Gennady of old, the one you saw against Matt Macklin. Once he lands a shot, he’ll be able to dictate what else is going to happen until the end.”

Sanchez said they take the same approach outside the ring. In short, they focus on what they control, and let everything else fall into place.

“We decided last year that we were going to be real busy. And if we stay busy, then all those chips will fall into place when the time comes,” said Sanchez.

Even chips like Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.? Will those chips fall into place, too?

“They’ll have to,” said Sanchez. “The public and the media will force them into it. And there will be enough money then for them to take the chance.”

Appropriately, Golovkin had the last word in our chat. I asked him why he’s a boxer. Why choose such a difficult and demanding way of life? What drives him to make his living by knocking other men to the floor?

“Good question,” said Golovkin. “I don’t know why. Because.”

And that answer seems wildly appropriate. Because some men are just born for it.

GGG has been active.... He's had 3 or 4 fights already this year. He's already in the maximum state of preparedness.
And preparedness breeds confidence. He doesn't have to make videos shadowboxing in the dressing room and telling
Everyone how unafraid he is.
Like a certain boxer.
There's no way Martinez is fighting GGG anytime soon.
I mean.....how does a fighter go from Cotto or Canelo or Floyd...to GGG?
Its like going from a traffic ticket to an IRS Audit.

amayseng says:

Fighting ggg is unknowingly signing yourself up for a free *** whooping.

Stevens is in for a bad night.

I can't wait for Saturday.

the Roast says:

Don't count your chickens GGG. Stevens can punch. I want to see 3G take a shot or two.

amayseng says:

Don't count your chickens GGG. Stevens can punch. I want to see 3G take a shot or two.

I have a feeling Stevens is gonna try to trade to pump himself up. He reminds me of that dude in high school who ran his mouth all day to prepare himself and pump himself up for a fight after school only to not show up or try to talk himself out of a fight after he gets eye to eye with who ever is after stomping his a$$.
the silent assassin is the one you have to look out for, GGG has nothing to say because he knows he stomping Stevens when the time comes.
Stevens has some power for sure, but what he doesnt have is the boxing ability or tools to go with it.
In fact his downfall will be what i pointed out months ago, Stevens will try to throw some bombs but his feet will stay static leaving his head and body there for the taking. GGG could end this fight in the first round or 5th. Depends when Stevens decides to either sit down and trade or bicycle to survive as Rosado did. and i wont blame him for bicycling away, who wants to receive those shots from GGG? They may not look like much because GGG throws them so effortlessly, but they are debilitating.

GGG is like a silent assassin, surgically placing his shots with precision, each one cutting and debilitating his opponent physical abilities as he stalks and walks opponents down almost in a nonchalant fashion.

man i cant wait for this fight...

Radam G says:

@the Roast, 3g is going to put a severe b-d on C-S.

I wish I could get with this long-legged, six-foot-tall damsel from the planet Venus without my wifey putting a luv T-K-O on me. Hehehe!

The ultra powerful and chunky Stevens has an eye for sloppy jabs and the slow return of hands to their defensive positions. Just don't square up to him with your back to the ropes.
Even I would know what to expect against the hard hooking newyorker.

My Granddad used to "you got to bring some azz to get some jazz"... What is GGG supposed to doing when he's supposedly being stalked by Scarry Chin Checker.

My guess is GGG will be laying an educated jab on Stevens while probing him for weakness with an assorted arsenal of stiff hooks' bodydhots , and straight punches until he figures out the combination on Stevens and that should be right about the time he begins retreating.

Credit goes to Stevens for taking the shot and talking the talk...he took the fight that more highly rated fighters have been avoiding for years... Hope he can acquit himself well ...like Rosario.